Motor-vehicle.



No. 803,008. PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905.

\ H. P.-MOORREES.

MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLIOATIOH FILED 0016,1904.

1 a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H 00 0 3 0 0O 0 N MOTOR VEHICLE.

APPLICATION FILED 0016,1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Pn rENT' OFFICE.

HERMAN P. MOORREES, OF NEW YORK, Y

MOTOR-VEHICLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

: vi'lp plieatiou filed October 6, 1904. Serial No. 227.336;

- To (bi/- 1117mm, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN P. Mooannns, a subject of the Queen of Holland, residingin the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, in the State of NewYork, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Motor- Vehicles, of which the following is a specifi-- steering-truck or its axle about a central ver-- tical axis rather than by independent steer.- ing-wheels mounted at'the ends of a fixed axle. In accordance with the present invention means are provided for effecting by hand the necessary movemenglof the steering truck or axle to effect thede ection of the course of the vehicle to one side or the other. Electrically controlled or operated steering devices arealsoprovided-and maybe employed independently of the hand-steering devices or in conjunction therewith to effect more rapidly the deflection of the course of the vehicle.

To permit of theconvenient application ofthe auxiliary or electrically-operated steering devices, the two wheels of the steering-truck are given-or are permitted to have independence of motion upon their axes, being driven, preferably, by independent motors. Through the relectrically-operated steering mechanism one of such motors is driven faster than the other mdtor, according to thedirection 11. which the vehicle is to, be turned, and the outside wheel is therefore driven faster than the inside wheel, whereby th'e action of the steeringmotor 'is supplemented and the turning of the vehieleiseifected more rapidly. Incidentally to the application of the improved steering devices the driving mechanism is likewise improved. although, as will be readily understood, the improved driving mechanism is ca pable of use independently of the improved steering mechanism and may be applied to a non-steering truck.

The invention will be more fully explained hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, n which for purposes of exing shown in section.

of the parts below the body of the vehicle,

planation of its nature it is illustrated asem- Y bodied in a convenient and practical form, and in which-- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the forward portion of a motor-vehicle to which the invention is applied. Fig. 2 is ,an end elevation of the parts shown in Fig. llooking from the rear, the body of the vehicle be- Fig. 3 is a plan view the steering shaft or pillar being shown in section and a portion of the frame of the vehicle being also represented. Fig. 4 is a diagram of the electrical connections involved in the operation ,of the electricalsteering mechanism. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a modified form of the truck without the steering devices.

The vehicle to which the parts are applied may be of any desired character.

In the drawings the improvements are* shown as applied to a heavy vehicle upon the frame a of which may be .mounted a prime motor b and a dynamo 0 as the source of sup- "ply of the current employed iii the driving and the steering of the vehicle. The body of the vehicle rests upon a movable fifth-wheel.

0Z, constituting part of thetruck-frame', to ,which the axle 0, preferably non-rotary, may

be connected in any convenient manner, as by the usual springs f. The driving and steering wheels g may be mounted, as usual, upon the ends of ,the axle e and are provided with driving-gears g, engaged by driving-pinions g on the outer ends of corresponding twopart counter-shafts l1 la. The two'parts of each counter-shaft are connected by a suitable universal joint If, and the outer part ll of the shaft is mounted in a bearing a, which is carried by an arm a, secured to or mounted upon the axle e. The other part I of the shaft has a long bearingin asleeve I (shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 3,) which is carried in short arms or bosses h, projecting from the casing of the motor 2'. Thelatteris suspended from a fixed portion of the frame, such as the fifth-wheel (Z. The two sleeves ivinay beprovided with flanges, as at 71. and bolted together to further stiffen the structure, if desired. A gear 71., mounted.on the shaft h,

responding motor The provision of atwo- I part transmission-shaft between the motor and the driving-wheel, with a universal joint interposed between the two parts and with the up by the universal joint without any tendency to cause binding between the pinion g of the transmission-shaft and the driving-gear g on the driving-wheel g. The motor and one part of the counter-shaft,- it will be observed, are supported fromthe truck-frame, and opportunity is givenfor the necessary reduction of speed between the motor and the driving-wheels, while the arrangement of gearing is such as not to be disturbed by the relative movement between the axle and the motor and is well adapted to withstand the strains to which it is subjected in use.

For the steering of the vehicle by hand there is provided a' steering shaft or pillar it,

having a hand-whee] or handle k in convenient proximity to the seat of the driver and at its lower end asprocketwheelk Thelatter engages a chain k, the ends of which are secured to the movable fifth-wheelcl, asshown in Fig. 2. The steering shaft or pillar in is also provided with an electrically-controlled friction-check it" of ordinary construction for l the purpose of preventing accidental deflection of the steering-wheels and the transmission of shocks to the hands of the driver. The construction of the check forms no'part of the'present invention; but, as indicated in Fig. 40f the drawings, it may comprise an electromagnet in the circuit, as explained, and a series of disks, which aresecured alternately to the shaft or pillar and the casing, (shown at k in Fig. 1,) so that when the electromagnet is energized the disks are drawn together to increase the friction sufiiciently to prevent the easy turning of the shaft, and when the magnet is deenergizedthe disks are released and the shaftcan be turned freely. This construction is common and need not be illustrated in more detail than is already shown in the drawings.

For the operation of the auxiliary steering mechanism there is mounted on the truckframe or fifth-wheel a steering-motor Z, which is operatively connected by a shaft Z and bevel gears Z with a sprocket wheel m, mounted in suitable hearings in the frame of the movable fifth-wheel. A chain m is engaged by the sprocket-wheel m and has its ends secured to a fixed point of the vehicleframe, as at 122. ,.so that when the sprocketwheel is rotated by the motor it travels on thechain and swings the fifth-wheel in one direction or the other, according to the direction in which the motor Z is driven. For the purpose of determining the direction of rotation of the motor and the speed of rotation thereof a controller 0 is mounted on the vehicle-frame, having asuitable handle a in convenient proximity to the drivers seat.

The arrangement of the controller and the in a shunt from the main line, such shunt be-' ing closed and the friction-check is energized, when the controller-handle 0' is in, its central position,'b,v a circuit-making device of usual character, (represented at So long as the vehicle is moving in a straight path, there- 'fore, the friction-check'is closed and movement of the steering mechanism from'the central position is prevented or retarded, while the, transmission of shocks to the hands of the driver is also prevented. As soon, how; ever, as the controller-handle is moved from its central position in' one direction or the other the friction-check is released, so that the steering mechanism can then be moved freely. The steeringqnotor Z1s also mcluded in a shunt from the main circuit through a reversing-switch p, which may be of ordinary construction and arrangement, as represented in Fig. 4 of the drawings, comprising contact-making devices p'and 10, carried by the controller-leveror some part connected therewith, and suitable contacts, as at p and p. The movement of the controller-handle in-one direction or the other therefore throws current on the steering-motor in one direction or the other, according to the direction in which the vehicle is to be turned, and through the described connections the fifthwheel is turned in the proper direction. For the purpose of assisting the steering-motor and of hastening the turning of the vehicle the movement of the controller-handle is also made use of to increase the speed ,of rotation of one or the other of the driving-motors i, as the case may be, To this end a shunt around the field F of, each motor is made to include i a variable resistance R, the terminals of which are arranged as usual, circuit being closed across the terminals by the contact-strip,k, carried by the controller-handle or by any other contact device conveniently arranged.

When the controller-handle is in its middle position, the shunts including each of the resistances are open and full -current flows through the fields of both motors; but if the controller-lever is moved to' one side, as to the left in Fig. 4, the "corresponding shunt is closed with at first, the full resistance, whereby a small portion ofthe. current flows over the shunt, the field is correspondingly weakened, and the speed of the motor is correspondingly increased. Further movement of the controller-handle to the left successively reduces the resistance, correspondingly reduces the current in the field of the motor,

and correspondingly increases the speed of the motor. The increase in speed of one motor over the other produces acorresponding increase in the speed of rotation of the corresponding driving-wheel and this being always the outside driving wheel the action of the steering-motor is supplemented and the turning of the vehicle is expedited.

In some ,eases it may. be deemed, unneces- I sary to make use of separate driving-motors for the purpose of the vehicle.

ings, a single driving-motor 71 may then be employed, the same being supported upon a I5 suitable frame l and operatively connected,

through a differential gear 9: of ordinary con- J struction, with the two parts it of ,the twopart counter shafts, which are provided for the transmission of power to the different wheels 9 of the vehicle.

Various other modifications of the details of construction and arrangement will readily suggest themselves as the conditions of each use may require, and it will be'understood 2 5 that theinventiori is not to be limited to the particular construction a nd arrangement shown and described herein. v

I claim as my invention-- 1. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a steering shaft or pillar, steering mechanism operated thereby, an electrically-controlled fri'ction-checlz cooperating with-said shaft or pillar and comprising an electromagnet and partsdirectly acted upon thereby to vary the a5 frictional contact thereof, and means to open I described. 2. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a and close said friction-check,substantially as steering shaft or pillar, steering mechanism operated thereby, an electrically-controlled friction-check cooperating with said shaft or pillar, a steering-motor operatively connected with said steeringmechanism and means to control said motor and simultaneously open and close said friction-check, substantially as described. 3. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a steering shaft or pillar, steering mechanism operated. thereby, an electrically-controlled friction-check cooperating with said shaft or pillar, a steering-motor operatively connected with said steering mechanism, and a controller and electrical connections to said check and motor, including a reversing-switch for said motor, whereby the check is opened as the controller is operated to start the motor in one direction or the other, substantially as de-' scribed.

4. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a steering shaft or pillar, steering mechanism operated thereby, an electrically-controlled friction-check cooperating with said shaft, or pillar, a steering-truck having independent driving-wheels, independent motors for said 5 driving-wheels respectively-,and means to vary assisting in the turningbf- As shown in Fig. 5 of the draw-' .ing said steering motor and a reversingof the motors may be varied and the check opened or closed, substantially as described.

I 6. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a steering truck, a steering motor mounted thereon, operative connections between the I motor and the vehicle body whereby the steering-truck is, turned by the movement of the motor, a steeringshaft or pillar mounted on the vehicle-body and operative connections between said shaft or pillar and saidsteeringtruck, substantially as described.

7 in a motor-veh'cle, thecombination of a steering-truck, a motor mounted on said-steer- 99 ing-truck, a chain having its ends anchored r uponithe vehicle-body and engaged by said motor, and means to control said motor, snbstantially as described.

8. in a motor-vehicle, the combination of a steering-truck, a steering-motor mounted on said steering-truck, a chain having its" ends anchored upon the body of the vehicle and engaged by said motor, a steering shaft or pillar mounted on the vehicle-body and a chain having its endsanchored' upon said steeringtruck and operatively en aged by said shaft' or pillar, substantially as described. a

9. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a steering-truck having independent drivingwheels, a steering-motor mounted on said truck, operative connections between the motor and thevehicle-body whereby the steer ingJ-truck is turned by the movement of the motor driving means for said wheels also mounted on said truck, and*means carried by. the vehicle-bodygto control said motor am said driving means, substantially as described.

10. In a motor-vehicle, thecombination of a steering truck, independent driving-wheels; I I 5 a steering-motor operatively connected with said truck, independent motors geared to said driving;wheels respectively, and means to control said steering-motor and simultaneously to vary the speed of either of said drivingmotors substantially as described.

11. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a truck, independent driving-wheel's, a steeringmotor operatively' connected with said truck, independent driving-motors geared to said driving wheels respectively, an; electric cir cuit, including a generator and said drivingmotors, normally open shunts aroundthe field of said motors, a normally open shunt includl at.

switch, and a-c ontroller to close the circuit of 1 ported by the truck-frame, a two-part counthe' steering-motor and either of the shunts around the fields of the driving-motors, whereby the field.of one, of the driving-motors is weakened and the speed of such motor is increased simultaneously with the operation of the steering-motor, substantially as described. 12. In a motor-vehicle, the combination of a frame, an axle, driving-wheels; a motor supenacts gearing between the counter-shaft and the wheels, and an arm secured to the axle adjacent to tlfe wheel and wholly supporting the other part of the counter-shaft whereby said part is free to move with the axle and the mesh of said gearing is maintained without binding during bending of the axle, substantially as described. This specifiation signed and witnessed this 3d day oil-October, A. D. 1904.

\ HERMAN RM RREESJ I In presence of ANTHONY N. J nsssmg,

MARY A. BRAYLEY. 

